The present invention is directed to improved baby products, specifically pacifiers. The present invention is also directed to methods of manufacturing pacifiers.
Pacifiers generally consist of multiple components, such as a handle, shield and a baglet (or nipple). As is well known in the art, the baglet is the portion of a pacifier that a child sucks on. To reduce the weight and amount of material in the pacifier, and also to provide the desired sucking resistance of the baglet, it is common for the baglet to be hollow, having an opening at the end opposite that of the end which enters the child's mouth. To secure the various components of the pacifier together and to minimize the potential for dirt and bacteria accumulation between the various components of the pacifier, it is common practice to secure one or more components of the pacifier together through a sonic welding process such as high-frequency welding. However, certain plastics which are commonly used to make pacifier components, such as polypropylene, do not adhere well to each other through the high-frequency welding process. This is especially true when trying to weld together two pieces of the same type of plastic, such as polypropylene to polypropylene. In fact, it is common for the welding process to leave portions of the components unattached. This results in an inferior product with shorter lifespan and also poses a safety hazard in that the pacifier can come apart while the child is sucking, increasing the risk of choking. In addition, a sonic welding process can burn or otherwise degrade certain materials such as latex. A baglet that is burned or otherwise degraded from this process poses additional health and safety risks for children and infants.
Over molding, or insert molding (terms which will be used interchangeably throughout this application), as well as similar molding processes commonly used for thermoset plastics and thermoplastic elastomers and the like, in which a component of the final product is injected in liquid form into a mold that contains the other, fully formed component or components which are to be adhered to, creates a vastly superior adhesion, resulting in a single-piece, permanently fixed final product with little to no risk of components coming apart or separating from one another. The use of insert molding to form a conventional pacifier, however, can result in molten plastic entering the baglet and/or spreading on and around the outer surface of the baglet during the molding process. This can damage the baglet, distort its shape, alter the sucking resistance of the baglet or portions of the baglet, or render the baglet otherwise unusable, unsafe or undesirable.
There is also a need for pacifiers with soft shields while maintaining sufficient rigidity, as well as pacifiers having single-component shield and baglet combinations that can be effectively and commercially manufactured. Soft shields made from, for example, silicone, reduce the chance of injury to a child who falls with the pacifier in his/her mouth, and increase the comfort of using the pacifier. Soft shields also provide greater surface area for teething and the implementation of teething structures (such as nubs, protrusions, and so forth). However, it is important that soft-shield pacifiers have sufficient structural integrity or rigidity to prevent contortion of the pacifier during use that could result in the child swallowing or otherwise placing the pacifier into the esophagus and choking. Single-component shield and baglet combinations are desirable as they are easier to clean than the conventional dual component shield and baglet. In a dual component shield and baglet, the area between the baglet and shield opening cannot be easily cleaned, and can become wet with saliva, mucus, water, and so forth, resulting in the growth of bacteria or mold. A single-component shield and baglet combination eliminates these deficiencies. In addition, a single-component, soft shield and baglet combination allows for the creation of an “oscillating pacifier,” a highly desirable form of pacifier which more closely imitates the motion of sucking on a natural breast.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve pacifiers and the method of manufacturing pacifiers.